Torches and Pitchforks
by TheMasterer
Summary: This story revolves around a young boy named Kevin, a journey, and the struggles he faces in his desperate search for answers. Companion Piece to my other, mature fanfic Stakes and Nooses. In this world, nothing is as it seems. Ch. 5 is now up! Please R
1. Tardy Guy

**This is my original story,**

**Torches and Pitchforks**

**Disclaimer****: I DO NOT own Pokémon!**

Yesterday things were no different than they had been his entire life. It was the same routine all over again, day after day. But today was a very special day indeed. It was Kevin's birthday today. He was finally turning ten years old. It was the time for him to begin his Pokémon journey at last.

He had been looking forward to this since his older brother had left on his journey four years ago. And although he would miss his mom and dad, he was looking forward to finally getting out on his own. Pallet town had always been a simple and boring place. It was just your average small town.

He knew all the old faces. From the lady who ran the grocery store to his neighbor who lived with a bunch of Zubat. All in All, he loved his home dearly. But when he woke up this Sunday morning Kevin was overwhelmed with a feeling of anticipation at finally being able to leave the confines of Pallet. He was so excited. Once he rolled out of bed and dressed himself, he went downstairs for a little breakfast before his tread up to Professor Oak's laboratory.

Becoming a Pokémon trainer was something that had always interested him. It was like a dream come true when he got his postcard in the mail last week. This was the real thing. This was really happening. Kevin quickly ate his eggs with toast and after a hurried kiss goodbye from his mother; he sat off for Oak's lab.

The professor's estate was the highlight of the town and truly a sight to behold. Although Kevin usually passed the building via bicycle on his way to the grocery store or running errands, he had never actually been inside. While he made his way up the steps, nervousness began to eat away at his insides. As he approached the front door, his palms started sweating. Once Kevin composed himself, he knocked twice.

A few moments passed before a tall boy in a green shirt answered the door and greeted him.

"New trainer?" he asked.

You nodded swiftly, your voice apparently absent.

"You're the last one, right this way." He added kindly, making room for Kevin to enter.

Kevin crossed the threshold and was lead into a laboratory-type room that housed a number of gadgets and electronics. His mouth hung open in silent awe and he quickly closed it. Glancing around the room, Kevin noticed three other people. Two young kids much like him, a boy and a girl. There was also a woman with short blonde hair wearing the most ridiculous outfit he had ever seen. She was draped in robes of dark blue that matched her eyes. She also wore a tiara of sorts with brown sandals and winter gloves. She was seated in a chair facing the window. When she shifted sideways at his arrival, their eyes met briefly. Kevin noticed that she sported a belt with three Poke balls. There was no sign of the Professor himself.

All of the children's faces bore confused expressions. After about ten minutes, echoing footsteps could be heard from down the hall. There was a door on the other side of the room. When the footsteps came to a halt, the knob started twisting. Kevin held his breath. Samuel Oak entered the laboratory.

"Hello there." He greeted them with a smile on his face. He walked to his desk and began shuffling papers. "Just give me one moment to find your information." He added.

Another minute passed and he began. "Ahh, I see now. You're Travis." He said indicating the other young boy who arrived before Kevin. "Susie," he went on. "And…Kevin."

They all nodded enthusiastically.

He continued in a serious tone. "Now all of you are here today because all of you are now of age to begin your Pokémon journeys. You see, we trainers travel around with and raise our partner Pokémon. You will each be embarking on a quest I wouldn't recommend for the feint of heart. This day marks a milestone in your young lives and I can't stress enough to you how absolutely serious being a trainer actually is. Make no mistake, taming Pokémon can be dangerous. Answering this call will put your capabilities to the test. You must learn to conduct yourselves as responsible young adults and try to learn from all your mistakes, because everyone's bound to make them. Do you understand?"

More nodding from the trainers.

"Well, now that that's settled." In a more joyful tone, "let's get started."

He walked over to the wall on the far left of the room. Perched there was an intercom. Pressing a button, he spoke into the speaker. "Tracey, bring them in."

At once the door Kevin entered through burst open. Tracey rolled in a small cart that neatly displayed--Kevin's heart jumped-- three red and white poke balls.

Tracey stopped in front of Professor Oak, who seemed to conjure a mug of coffee out of thin air.

After a sip he began. "These, as I'm sure you've already deduced, are poke balls. They contain the Pokémon with which you'll be staring your journey with. As you'll notice, there are three here. One for each of you," he added. "You'll be responsible for adding more to your roster."

He concluded, "We'll use the order of your arrival to determine who goes first." There were no arguments as they filed into a small line.

Travis came forward, evidently proud of himself for arriving before the others. He was a few inches taller than Kevin and he had brown hair.

He looked up at Professor Oak, "I already know which one I want."

Oak raised his eyebrows, "Oh? Well then, what'll it be?"

"Bulbasaur!" Travis exclaimed.

Oak walked up to the cart and picked up the middle ball. "That'll be this one."

He handed it to Travis, who looked as if he were in a trance. Travis went to the back of the line.

Susie was next. She was one of the smallest girls Kevin had ever seen. Her red hair was short and in small pigtails. She seemed very nervous.

"Um…I want the strongest one, so it can protect me." She said in a barely audible, squeaky voice.

Oak smiled and said, "Well, I can guarantee they're all equally qualified for that."

She looked reassured at the statement.

"Ok…well, how am I to choose between them?"

The Professor seemed to consider this, but only smiled.

After a short pause and a chant of 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe' Susie decided on the first ball and Oak handed it to her gently.

"I think you'll be very happy with this one, just make sure you raise it well."

She seemed quite content with that and stumbled back behind Travis with glee.

Kevin now stepped up. Admittedly, he hadn't given much thought to which one he preferred. But he decided that it didn't really matter much, as long as it was nice.

"Well Travis, it seems your partner will have to be Squirtle, the water type."

He nodded eagerly and gladly accepted the Poke ball from Oak. A feeling of accomplishment overwhelmed Kevin while holding his very first Pokémon, a Squirtle. He was officially a trainer.

Squirtle. He kept repeating the name over and over in his mind. I gotta meet him, he thought. Questions like, 'What if he doesn't like me? What if I'm not a good enough trainer?' all came to mind. But looking around he noticed the others had already released the Pokémon that they received. Holding the ball in front of him, there was a flash of white light as it exploded in his hand. Appearing at his feet was a little blue turtle with a brown and yellow shell.

"Squirtle!" It shouted at him.

"…hi there," Was all Kevin managed to say before Professor Oak beckoned their attention.

"Now listen up everyone, this here is Elizabeth, a Pokémon league representative and a former student of mine." He said gesturing to the girl with the strange garments.

She stood up at the introduction and spoke in a clear, precise voice so that everyone could hear her.

"Hello there, I'm here on behalf of the International Pokémon league association-Kanto branch. I'm to extend an invitation to all new trainers who are interested in taking on the league challenge in order to become the regional champion."

Kevin perked up at these words. Champion had a pretty nice ring to it. He glanced down at Squirtle; the little guy seemed to be hanging on to Elizabeth's every word.

She continued, "To qualify all trainers must travel the region and earn a total of eight badges. Badges must be earned by defeating participating Pokémon gyms in each city by the deadline of July the twenty-second. Badges will be awarded at the gym leader's discretion." She added grimly.

"Those who meet the deadline become eligible to participate in a league hosted tournament in which the winner will get to face off against the elite four and reigning Pokémon Champion for the title.

Interested trainers are urged to travel to Viridian city and register at said Pokémon center. Deadline's in a few weeks. Exceptions can be arranged."

She bowed deeply. "Thank you for your time, professor, a word if you will…"

Oak and Elizabeth stalked off behind the big desk to continue a more intimate conversation.

Kevin turned to Squirtle, "Do you think should we go register?"

Squirtle nodded enthusiastically. He held out his little blue hand.

"Squirtle Squirtle!"

Kevin put his hand on top of Squirtle's.

"…you mean, together we can do it?"

"Squirtle!"

They were interrupted by Tracey making another appearance.

"You guys can collect your Poke balls from that bin over there."

He pointed to a box on Oak's big desk.

"Since you're only allowed six Pokémon in your roster, five more will do it."

He turned and faced the exit. "Good luck guys!"

Once Tracey left, the three young trainers went to collect the balls.

Kevin could conveniently overhear Oak's conversation.

"—I apologize for my being tardy, Liz, but Professor _Maple_ was just here…in the back."

With an unexpected speed, Elizabeth flung out a red and white Poke ball. The illuminating white light materialized into a Pokémon Kevin had never seen before. Hovering six feet of the ground was an orange and yellow miniature sun.

"Professor, why didn't you say something earlier!"

Oak, with both hands up, hastily responded

"Everything's fine, she left, no harm done!" he chuckled nervously under her stern gaze.

"Solrock, go search the premise for intruders!"

It grunted its compliance and in another flash of bright light, it vanished.

"What did she want Professor?"

"Well, she broke into the lab and I confronted her. It was the strangest thing, she kept rambling on about the Eevee research I've been conducting recently. I finally convinced her to leave, so I could prepare for the new trainers-"

Kevin was now digging through the bin, counting out five Poke balls.

"…I just don't know what's gotten into her lately."

After this brief recollection he added grimly, "What has she been up to, Liz?"

"Well, professor, she is a criminal wanted in five different cities for various crimes against Pokémon! You should notify the authorities at once."

Something was nudging Kevin's right leg. He looked down to see Squirtle trying to drag him after the rest of the trainers, who were now going into another room.

"Oh, I'm sorry Squirtle! Did you want to have a look around?"

It nodded and pointed to the room.

"Well, o.k.."

He followed Squirtle as he led him into the room where there were hundreds of columns of ceiling-high shelves all containing Poke balls.

"Oh wow, there must be thousands!" Kevin heard Susie's squeaky voice exclaim.

Looking around, there was one column with a majority of green poke balls that caught your eye. The label read…

"-ash."

It was Oak.

"Yes, he left on his own Pokémon journey quite some time ago. You see, whenever you capture more Pokémon than the I.P.L.A deems a trainer is allowed to carry at one time, in this case six, they are automatically transported here to this lab, where I look after them."

"But doesn't that become a burden after a while? Looking after so many Pokémon?"It was Travis's turn to interrupt.

The others, it seemed, silently gravitated toward Oak the moment he entered the room.

He laughed, "Why no, looking after all these Pokémon helps with my research! There are still so many questions to be answered about our friends here."

He bent down and began to pet Susie's Charmander.

"So many things we don't know. It's my job to answer as many of these questions as I can. This reminds me, I have a favor to ask each of you."

He pulled from his pocket three, identical, red, calculator-like contraptions.

"These are an invention of mine, the Pokedex or Pokémon encyclopedia. You see, being cooped up in this lab all day, I require field assistants out collecting data on Pokémon in the wild. If you would each take one and use it to record data on any Pokémon that you happen to see, I would greatly appreciate it. Not only will this data be of value to my research, but I'm positive it'll greatly aid you as well in your quests. Not only that, but these will also serve as your Trainer's License and identification. What do you say?"

They all agreed, so once he registered the Pokedexes in their names and presented them to the trainers, they all started on their way.

Oak led them to the front door, "I thank you for your assistance, good luck on your journeys!" he yelled, waving them off. "Don't forget to keep in touch! And be careful with the Pokedex, you don't want to lose them!"

As they made their way from Oak's estate, it was Susie who spoke up first and broke the awkward silence.

" ..So, should we meet up at the edge of town after we say goodbye to our families?"

Travis responded, "What for?"

"…so we can go to Viridian City together."

Travis laughed sarcastically at this. "Me? Get saddled with a loser like you? I don't think so."

Kevin thought about it for a minute. He had never been outside of Pallet before. So traveling with someone seemed like a good idea to him.

"I'll go with you." He spoke up.

Susie turned to face him, "O.k., we'll meet up at the edge of town in an hour, alright?"

"Alright."

Travis looked distinctly put off by this arrangement and as soon as they reached the fork in the middle of town, he took off without a backwards glance.

After mumbling his goodbyes to Susie, Kevin set off for his own house. He had to watch his pace so Squirtle's little legs could keep up with his stride.

"Come on Squirtle, you'll get to meet my mom!"

Unbeknownst to them alert in the bushes lurked a pair of bright ever-watchful eyes…. What does this mean for our young protagonist?

**Okay so this was re-edited...**

**Also I won't be going into too much detail when I describe the characters**. **I want them to look like whatever you envision them to look like. Often I'll begin reading a fic and the way people describe their Main Character just really throws off the entire story…but maybe that's just me.**


	2. The Horn in The Stone

Torches and Pitchforks

Chapter 2

Etched in stone

*…later that day.

"Mom, I've returned!"

Young Susie announced as she entered her house and locked the door behind her. Looking around she sighed in defeat. Her mom must've already left for work.

"Oh man, I really wanted her to meet my Charmander.."

After checking around more thoroughly, Susie gave it up and went to collect her things. Once she felt she had everything she needed, Susie set off for the rendezvous location to wait for Kevin.

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Kevin found his mom in the kitchen doing the mornings dishes.

Squirlte took it upon himself to scout around the living room and take in the sights. He looked as if searching for forensic evidence the way he crawled around under the couch and coffee table.

"Mom, I've returned from Oak's lab!" he announced to her back.

After drying her hands she turned and embraced her youngest son.

"How wonderful for you, dear!" she exclaimed. "It would seem you're finally growing up."

"Yeah mom, what did you expect?" he retorted stubbornly.

As Squirlte came bustling into the kitchen, Kevin's mom approached it.

"And who do we have here?" she said as she picked him up.

"Its Squirlte mom, that's the Pokémon I-" the rest of what he had to say was drowned out by hysterical laughter as his mom began to tickle Squirtle's toes. Sighing, he decided he'd better take the time to gather all of the things he had set aside the previous night.

After he got his bag together, Kevin went to say goodbye to his mom.

"Well mom, I'm off to Viridian City!" he announced. He was surprised to find Squirlte waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs, munching on what looked like some Pokémon food.

"Here dear, take this with you." She handed him a canister of Pokémon food.

"Thanks mom!" Kevin said. After he managed squeezed it into the already filled-to-the-brim backpack, his mom embraced him once more.

"I knew this day would come, I'm going to miss you around here. Call me often, alright? I don't want you to forget about your mom."

"I won't," said Kevin as they walked to the door.

"And remember to take care of Squirlte!" she yelled after him as he headed off to meet Susie.

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Wow. Kevin was at a loss for words.

"Susie, what's going on?"

"Stay back Kevin this is my fight! Charmander, use scratch again!" Susie commanded

Her Charmander obediently lashed out at his opponent, Travis's Bulbasaur, and scratched it across the face. For a minute Bulbasaur looked as if ready to retaliate, but instead crumbled to the ground.

"What? How could we lose! You cheated!" Travis yelled.

"Ha, as if. Like we'd need to cheat in order to beat a jerk like you!" Susie retorted.

"Bubla, return!" Travis shouted as he aimed his poke ball at his fallen Bulbasaur. A red beam shot out of it and absorbed Bulbasaur. After glaring at Susie, Travis paid her the prize money and stalked off.

"Susie what was that about?" Kevin asked her.

"That jerk tried to ambush me and Charmander, but we were too hot for him! Isn't that right Charmander?" Charmander nodded his agreement. "Return!" She shouted as Charmander was called back into his poke ball.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Kevin said in awe.

"Well, what did you expect? Just because I'm a girl that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself!" Susie boasted. "Now come on, we have to get to Viridian City before dark."

Together they set off at a brisk pace down Route 1.

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"Oh no, look at that poor Pokémon Kevin." Susie urged as they passed by a boulder near the river. "The poor thing is stuck!" she exclaimed.

It was stuck indeed. It looked like the Pokémon's horn had somehow become lodged in the small boulder.

"Kevin we have to help it." Susie begged. "Let's check the pokedex."

Susie reached into her bag and withdrew the pokedex that Professor Oak had given her earlier. She aimed it toward the Pokémon and it came to life at once.

**Pokedex: "Nidoran. Male. It scans its surroundings by raising its ears out of the grass. Its toxic horn is used for protection."**

Kevin crept over to the Nidoran.

"Be carful the horn and barbs are poisonous!" warned Susie.

As he got closer, Kevin could see the Pokémon struggling to free itself from the boulder.

"It'll be o.k." Kevin reassured. "You don't have to be afraid." He grabbed the Pokémon and gently tugged. All of a sudden Kevin felt something smack him hard in the back and he fell over.

"What's going on?" Kevin yelled.

"Look, it's another one…but this one's different. Kevin look." Susie commanded.

Sure enough when Kevin turned around there stood a similar Pokémon. Only this one was darker in color, and with a shorter horn.

"Kevin, the pokedex says this one is a female. Look isn't it cute!" Susie shouted hysterically.

Kevin got to his feet. "Yeah? I'm more interested to know why it just attacked me!" Kevin retorted.

"It must think you were trying to hurt its friend." Susie suggested.

"Well, I'm not trying to hurt it, I'm trying to help it!" said Kevin. The female Nidoran charged another tackle attack towards Kevin, but he quickly avoided it and ran over to where Susie stood.

"What do I do?" He asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious? You'll have to battle it!" Susie exclaimed.

"Battle? But I've never been in a battle before!" Kevin declared.

Susie pushed Kevin out of the way of another of Nidoran's tackle attacks.

"Move over, I'll show you how it's done!" assured Susie. "Charmander, go!" she yelled launching her Poke ball into the air. In a burst of white light, Charmander appeared.

"Go Charmander, round up that Nidoran with ember!" shouted Susie. Kevin couldn't help but think she rather had a knack for this Pokémon training business. This was no longer the same nervous girl he witnessed in Oak's lab. Charmander spun around in a circle and released several loose embers from the tip of its tail that shot towards Nidoran. It was a direct hit, the Nidoran cried out "ran!" before sinking to the ground.

"Yes, you did it Charmander! Now it's my turn." Susie withdrew another poke ball from her bag and tossed it at the fallen opponent. An illuminating flash of red light swallowed Nidoran. After the ball fell to the ground it jiggled a few times before it sealed itself.

"Yay, I did it! We did it Charmander! We caught a new friend!" Susie cheered. "Hey, I just thought of something. Kevin you should capture that other Nidoran. It's the only way that I can think of to get it unstuck without hurting it."

"I think you're right." Kevin dug out a poke ball and threw it at the Nidoran. After the ball consumed the Pokémon, it fell to the ground and began to vibrate. Just like when Susie did it. Only this time, there was a loud crack and the ball exploded again.

"What the-" Susie began, startled after what she witnessed. "I guess you'll have to weaken it before you capture it after all! But at least you got it unstuck."

"Right, go Squirlte!" ordered Kevin as he tossed his other poke ball into the air. Squirlte appeared before him yelling 'Squirlte!'.

"Go Squirlte, tackle that Nidoran!" Kevin directed. Squirlte charged at Nidoran, but the opponent avoided the attack completely.

It was time for Kevin to put all of his knowledge of Pokémon to good use.

"Squirlte, that Pokémon is faster than you! Use bubble to slow him down and then tackle him!" Kevin instructed.

Squirlte obeyed and shot bubbles at the adversary. Nidoran seemed confused on how to dodge them so the attack nailed him dead-on.

As it began to recover from the blow, Squirlte charged it and then tackled Nidoran to the ground.

"Good job, now out of the way buddy!" yelled Kevin, excited. As Squirlte rolled from off of Nidoran, Kevin attempted another capture with the poke ball. This time, the ball sealed itself after vibrating a few times. As the realization set in, he and Susie began to cheer and celebrate.

"Looks like we're off to a great start on becoming Pallet Town's expert, hotshot Pokémon trainers Kevin! Now come on, let's head to Viridian City quickly; my Charmander's getting worn out from all this battling." Susie advised.

"Yeah, let's hurry." Kevin agreed.

The two young trainers closed in on there destination, speeding down Route 1 as the city came into view.

**A/n****: Also Re- edited! I'll try and work on the battle portions.**


	3. Settling In

Torches and Pitchforks

Chapter 3

Settling In

Upon entry of Viridian City, both Susie and Kevin were bombarded with flyers and leaflets about an upcoming Pokémon Battle Tournament being held locally in two days.

After shaking off a few excited trainers, they immediately began to scurry about the city in search of the Pokémon Center.

It wasn't long before they came across the enormous center and stumbled through the double doors.

Here there were giant posters plastered over the walls advertising the Battle Tournament as well.

It was Susie who took intuitive and marched up to the front desk.

Kevin followed her.

"Excuse me, hi, my name is Susie. My Charmander has been battling and I think he's tired." She declared, her voice rather high and squeaky once again.

A young, pink-haired woman beamed down at the two of them.

"Hello there, my name is Nurse Joy. If you would please, hand me all of your Pokémon and I'll make them good as new," The woman sang out loud as if this was all rehearsed and scripted.

Susie and Kevin gave her their poke balls and she placed them in a machine located against the wall.

After that she pushed a few buttons and twisted a dial.

Then she returned to them with an understanding smile.

"You guys are new trainers, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, we just came over from Pallet town." Susie responded.

"That's our Rejuvenation machine," Nurse Joy informed them indicating the machine currently containing all four of their poke balls. "It'll revive and revitalize a Pokémon from just about any injury--even exhaustion." She added with another warm smile.

"How much do we owe you?" Susie asked, digging through her bag.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary, all of the services we provide here are absolutely free of charge to all trainers." Nurse Joy said.

"Really?" said Susie, "I didn't know that."

Kevin, remembering the reason they decided to stop here in the first place, finally piped up, "We're also here to resister for the Pokémon league!" he exclaimed.

Nurse Joy regarded him kindly.

"Is that so? Well then, you've come to the right place" she stated.

Nurse Joy then turned to the computer on her desk and fired away on the keyboard.

A moment passed and everyone was silent. Suddenly she turned to them and asked for their Pokedexes.

They handed them to her and she inserted them, in turn, into a slot on the computer.

A few minutes went by before Nurse Joy finally announced that she was 'all done!'

By the time they made their exit from the Pokémon center, the sun was beginning to set.

Nurse Joy reassured them that they were welcome to stay at the Pokémon center for the next few days; As long as they returned before nine o'clock.

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Susie decided to drag Kevin all around town hinting ominously that it would be wise to stock up on supplies now, before they head out on their journeys.

But it was Kevin who insisted that the two of them sign up for the upcoming Battle Tournament.

After that, both Kevin and Susie spent the rest of the evening training in the Viridian Forest. It was here that Susie made the spectacular capture of a Rattata.

They managed to get back to the Pokémon center by nine o'clock sharp and went to their separate rooms after all the Pokémon had another rejuvenation session.

With the day's events now behind him, Kevin looked forward to getting a little bit rest himself.

He slept undisturbed well into the early morning of the next day.

**Meanwhile a confrontation is about to take place atop of the Viridian City Pokémon Center.**

**A female voice rang out, most unusually, into the crisp cold air.**

"**We attack at dawn, understand? I don't want any outside intrusion this time and obtaining the research is of the upmost importance." There was undistinguishable sound coming from the receiver of what appeared to be Poke gear.**

**Although from this distance, Elizabeth couldn't accurately make it out.**

"**Up to more mischief, I see."**

**Despite the fact that Elizabeth was facing her back, Maple appeared to be distinctly put off by the sudden intrusion.**

"**Well, what can I say, mischief **_**is**_** my middle name." Howling laughter preceded the statement, which succeeded only in further provoking Elizabeth.**

"**Enough is enough **_**Maple**_**; I'm taking you to Officer Jenny myself!" Elizabeth shouted, withdrawing a red and white poke ball. "Leafeon!"**

"**Vespiquen!" Shouted Maple.**

**A/n: The last scene takes place in both Stakes and Nooses, and Torches and Pitchforks; both of which are being written concurrently.**

**I was going to do a whole chapter and just have it in both stories. But I'll save that for later…**


	4. Maple's Madness

Torches and Pitchforks

Chapter 4

Maple's Madness

Kevin experienced an unusually vivid dream throughout the night. He was riding on the back of an enormous flying Pokémon. It wasn't until Susie shook him awake several hours before dawn, that yesterday's events finally solidified in his mind.

"Kevin? I think something's wrong. You have to wake up right now."

Once he became alert, he glared suspiciously at Susie. "What are you doing in my room?"

That's when he heard it. Gunshot-like cracking could be heard from above them.

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"Use Power Gem! Now!"

"Quick, dodge it again!"

Loud explosions rang out into the night air as the failed move ricocheted off of the concrete ground. This battle had been going on for the past ten minutes. Professor Maple's Vespiquen against Elizabeth's Leafeon; Both Pokémon were exhausted.

I must end this quickly, Maple thought. Before-

"What in heavens name is going on up here?"

It was Nurse Joy. The exit door to the roof clanged shut behind her. She was in her pajamas and appeared to be frustrated. "Do you people have any idea wh-"

Elizabeth shouted urgently, "Nurse Joy, this woman is a wanted criminal! You have to-"

"Go Machoke!" Maple interrupted. She swiftly withdrew a Poke ball and held it out in front of her. The Super-Power Pokémon erupted before them. "Quickly, grab Nurse Joy!"

"No! Nurse Joy, you must alert the proper authorities! I can only hold her off!" Elizabeth barked, "Go now!"

Nurse Joy's face visibly paled as she slowly backed away then launched herself at the door, fumbling with the knob.

"Magical leaf!"

"Power Gem!"

The two attacks collided in midair and exploded, creating a brilliant display of colors. Nurse Joy threw herself down the stairs, Machoke hot in pursuit.

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"Did you hear that?"

Thundering footsteps could be heard from somewhere nearby, followed by several doors slamming.

"…someone just came from the roof." Susie whispered. The two of them were now wide awake and a little nervous. They began to hear banging noises coming from outside.

The two junior trainers both raced out into the small corridor. The only source of light was a small lamp on Nurse Joy's desk, which was just out of sight.

"What's going on around here?" Kevin voiced.

"Maybe someone's trying to steal the Pokémon?" Susie tried.

Kevin made a noise.

"What? It happens you know!" she retorted angrily.

"….what's that?" he said indicating the source of the 'banging' noise they had heard earlier. A massive Machoke was ramming itself against a locked door a few meters away from them.

"That thing's huge!" Susie exclaimed. She retrieved her Pokedex and it enlightened them, coming to life once again.

"**Machoke's thoroughly toned muscles possess the hardness of steel. This Pokémon has so much strength, it can easily hold aloft a sumo-wrestler on just one finger."**

"What's that thing doing here? It can't be wild…" she deduced.

"I have no idea, but it'll wake up half of Viridian at this rate. We should get out of here. We need to find Nurse Joy…" Kevin trailed off.

That's when they heard it. Nurse Joy's familiar voice cried out in panic from behind the door. The lock wasn't going to hold up much longer, the wood was starting to splinter.

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"Vespiquen, use Attack Order!" Maple shrieked at the top of her lungs.

There was a short pause as the air around them stilled. Vespiquen began to buzz softly, her body vibrating in sync. Elizabeth looked on in horror as the Pokémon's eyes suddenly started to glow a harsh red color.

That's when the entire Viridian Forest, visible on the horizon, appeared to come alive. Dozens upon dozens of angry Combee rose up from the tree tops. She felt panic as the hoard of them flocked over to the Pokémon Center. They were surrounded.

As Vespiquen's buzzing ended, the Combee began using Psybeam.

Elizabeth lifted her Poke ball in an attempt to return her Leafeon, but it was blasted from her grip and flung across the roof.

"No!" She cried out loud. Leafeon, being much too tired to dodge any of the onslaught, was beginning to reach its limit. "Leafeon, use Last Re-"

Elizabeth was knocked off of her feet and crashed to the floor as another stray Psybeam collided with her person.

Maple burst into hysterical laughter. "You fool! I have you now…Combee, String Shot!"

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"You don't think….Nurse Joy…"

"Hey!" Susie sprang forward, "You cut that out!"

She latched onto the Machoke's right leg and began tugging, to no avail. The powerful Pokémon, annoyed by her efforts to deter him, grabbed her shirt collar and lifted her into the air.

"NO! PUT HER DOWN YOU MONSTER!" Kevin ran towards them while his friend struggled to get free.

That's when Machoke tossed Susie into him. Hard.

The two of them toppled to the floor in a heap of limbs. One of her Poke balls came loose and Charmander appeared in a flash of white, harsh light.

"Charmander?" it inquired.

On the other side of the hallway, the door to the roof access stairway exploded. Kevin began to stir during the ruckus.

Vespiquen, carrying a bound and gagged Elizabeth, flew out of the debris. Followed closely by a woman wearing a white lab coat.

Kevin jolted into a sitting position. Just what was going on tonight, he thought to himself.

The lights suddenly came on and illuminated the entire first floor of the Pokémon Center.

"…That's better." The woman spoke.

Machoke finally succeeded and the door caved in. It entered the room and sounds of a struggle could be heard from inside.

"You can place her down over there, Vespiquen….Yes dear, that'll do…" The woman trailed off.

The Pokémon obeyed its master and propped Elizabeth against the wall on the floor.

"What's this…children?" She added incredulously. "What are you doing here? Vespiquen, go investigate…" The woman ordered.

Once again the Pokémon obeyed and flew over to the two of them. It began to circle around, buzzing.

Kevin, ignoring it, focused his attention onto Susie. She still hadn't come to yet. He didn't notice the two other people suddenly appear out of thin air, a few feet away from him.

He called out to his friend, "SUSIE! Say something! Susie!"

When he finally looked up, Vespiquen was gone, and he spotted the newcomers. It was two teenagers, a boy and a girl, along with a small Pokémon Kevin didn't recognize.

Machoke reappeared from inside the room, dragging a struggling Nurse Joy in her night cloths.

"Now, who _do_ we have here!?" The woman screamed, indicating the two teens.

They ignored her completely and began conversing with each other; Kevin couldn't hear what they were saying. Then the two of them spilt up and the girl started walking towards him. The boy went in the other direction, to the woman.

The girl, who was wearing a big red R on her shirt, plopped down next to him and kneeled over Susie. She began inspecting her for injury. The girls Pokémon imitated her.

"What happened to this girl?" She spoke softly.

"It was that Machoke, he threw her…" Kevin explained.

They sat in silence while she worked. After a while she announced, "Your friend is fine. I don't think she has a concussion. She just needs to rest for now." The girl smiled at Kevin.

He could feel himself get hot as he began to blush. For some strange reason, he could no longer look into her eyes.

Apparently she didn't notice and went on, "Are you guys staying here? Where's her room?" The girl looked around.

"Right down there," He indicated the door a few feet away.

"Ralts, you know what to do..." She spoke to her Pokémon.

The small Pokémon, Ralts, nodded and began to glow a harsh blue. Kevin knew it was doing some kind of attack.

Susie suddenly rose a few feet into the air and began to float towards her room.

They all followed her and Charmander opened the door. After they settled her into the bed, Kevin sat in the chair next to her. The girls Ralts and Susie's Charmander started a conversation.

"Are you the police or something?" He asked the girl.

She laughed, "Or something…"

"…Thanks for helping us, do you know what's going on?" He was blushing again.

"Listen, I have to go now. You stay here alright? Keep an eye on her…" She said indicating Susie. "Ralts, let's go."

The little Pokémon obeyed its trainer and just before she closed the door Kevin asked, "What's your name?"

She paused and replied, "I'm Rain." Then she shut the door behind her.

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Kevin hadn't dosed off for five minutes before there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." He said groggily.

It was the lady in the white lab coat.

Kevin became wary and tensed up. "What do you want? Are you here to sick your Pokémon on us again?"

"I'm sorry…about that." Her voice was erratic, Kevin glared at her suspiciously. "Can't we just start over and be friends!" She added urgently.

The woman was really animated, she began pacing the floor and waving her arms about as she spoke. "I'm not a bad person."

"Yes you are! You hurt that girl…Elizabeth." The woman froze as he spoke. "You're the one who broke into the Professor's lab, aren't you? You're Maple!"

She eyed Susie's Charmander asleep on the floor, curled into a ball; her eyes slowly rose and met with Kevin's.

"I thought so; you guys are Oak's kids? The new trainers?" She spoke delicately, her voice eerily even.

"You're a crimin-"

She held up her hand to silence him.

"Young man, things are not as black and white in the world as they used to be. There are huge conspiracies afoot, of the likes a child couldn't fathom…" Her eyes were bulging outward. "Mark my words; a time will come, sooner than you think, when they'll wish they'd done things _my_ way."

Kevin turned his gaze onto Susie, who was asleep peacefully.

"I don't understand…anything…" He trailed off.

"But you will, my dear boy, in time…I'm sure of it!" Her voice returned to normal, "And here's where it starts!" She withdrew a Poke ball and expelled a small, brown, four-legged Pokémon. "…use your Pokedex, I need to-I need to _know._" Her expression was hungry.

Kevin obeyed.

"**Eevee, a rare Pokémon that adapts to harsh environments by taking on different evolutionary forms."**

They stayed silent for a while. The little Eevee strolled over to him and rubbed against his legs, asking to be pet. Kevin didn't indulge it.

"…_harsh_ environments, did it say?" She asked him.

He nodded, silently.

She began to pace again. More time passed.

Susie started to stir. Maple glanced at her, briefly.

"Kid, we'll keep in touch. You take care of your little friend there." She indicated Susie, starting for the door in a hurry.

"Huh? Wait! What about this Pokémon? What about Eevee?" Kevin stood up.

She tossed the Poke ball at him, which he caught. "You keep him; I was looking for someone to raise it…"

"But…wait!"

"Listen kid, I'm a Professor. I study Pokémon." She laughed harshly, "It'll help aid my _research_.."

After she slammed the door, Kevin found Susie wide-awake and playing with the Eevee Professor Maple had just given him.

"Cute little guy, isn't he? Where'd he come from?" She asked innocently.

"Well, thi-" He started.

"Ooh, I'm gonna catch him, quick hand me my bag.."

"You can't, he belongs to-"He tried again

"How'd I get here anyway? She ignored him.

"This girl and her-"

"Look Charmander, meet your new team mate!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, stop doing that!" Kevin ran over and grabbed Eevee's front paws. "This is my Pokémon!"

"No it's not!" Susie challenged, grabbing Eevee's two back paws. "I saw him first!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not, you were asleep!"

"Well, Eevee likes me better! Don't you buddy?"

They were both tugging the poor thing in opposite directions. Eevee, looking back and forth between the two trainers.

"Let go, Susie!"

"I'll battle you for him?"

"Susie, knock it off!"

All of a sudden, Eevee cried out 'Eevee!!' and burst into tears. The two of them let go and began stroking it, desperate to calm him.

"Look what you did, Kevin!

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**A/N****: Okay, I'm back after a long hiatus. I've decided to go ahead and finish my two stories that I sort of abandoned. They're kind of two halves of a whole, so if you want the full thing…you have to read both. A lot of what you DIDN'T see in this chapter, will show up in the other story…you know, when I decide to update it lol.**

**Okay, special thank you to Felix the Eeveetrainer for 1) taking the time to review both of my stories way back when lol. And 2) for the inspiration in this chapter!**

**Everyone feel free to review. Why? Because I really do want to hear your input good or bad.**

**Yeah, so expect chapter 5 in the next few days…that's when the battle tournament from ch.3 takes place!**

**Also, I made some slight revisions in the last 3 chapters. Nothing to major, I just expanded on a few things...**

**And I know what you're thinking about the whole Eevee thing! But at least he didn't like, idk find it in the wild somewhere lol. But seriously though…it's important for the advancement of the story!**

**One last thing, I already know Combee can't learn 'String Shot'….so don't start**


	5. Showdown

**Torches and Pitchforks**

Chapter 5

Showdown

"Finish it off, use Headbut!"

The small Pokémon bent its front legs and lowered its head with an agility Kevin, pleasantly surprised at first, had come to expect.

Eevee shot himself straight up, smashing into its opponent and causing the Mankey to fly backwards.

The Pig-Monkey Pokémon hit the ground with a 'thud' making no attempt to break its fall. As the winning team jeered in celebration, Mankey's trainer recalled the defeated Pokémon and came forward to congratulate the duo.

"You guys battle really well together!" He praised them.

The two young boys shook hands.

This was Kevin's third battle and Eevee's fifth straight victory. His newest Pokémon was advancing quickly. The entire roster now consisted of: Squirtle, Nidoran, and Eevee.

It was now one day since their ordeal at the Pokémon Center, that night Kevin vowed that he would never again be so helpless. But it was Susie who took everything the hardest. His friend had recovered well enough but ever since then she had been to the Viridian Forest and Pokémon Center, back and forth, more times than he could count. The girl was on a training binge.

Kevin didn't really blame her though. With the City Battle Tournament right around the corner, there was a lot of incentive to get strong. The winner received the TM for Hidden Power and a cash prize of 1000 Pokédollars.

So far, about twenty trainers had signed up to participate. The contest was being held at the local gym.

Kevin wanted to win. He wanted to prove to himself that it was possible for him to succeed. If he wanted to become the Pokémon Champ, this was where it started.

"Hey kid, want to battle us?"

He grinned as he turned to face this new advisory.

"We're ready when you are!"

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The next day, Kevin awoke in good spirits. He was ready, he felt confident. After him and Susie retrieved their well-rested Pokémon from Nurse Joy; the two of them set off for the gym together.

The gym on its own was very impressive. The building was designed to look like a coliseum.

What was even more awe-inspiring was the sheer number of residents that had turned out for the event. There must have been one-hundred people!

People brought their kids and grandparents. Kevin even spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd, mostly trainers he had battled yesterday. He even recognized the two store clerks who ran the PokéMart.

The inside was massive. All spectators sat in the stands while the participants went to a sort of dug-out on the field. Here, they were split into pairs and told the order in which they would be battling.

There were sixteen trainers total. Kevin's first opponent was a female. She had dark hair with long bangs. They would be going second.

Once everyone got settled into their seats, a voice rang out into the stadium.

"Welcome everyone! Welcome to Viridian's 12th annual Battle Tournament!" Everyone cheered in the audience.

"16 Pokémon trainers from all over have come to compete this year. Our grand prize is a Move TM and 1000 Pokédollars! The rules are simple: the competition consists of 4 rounds; the first three rounds are one-on-one sudden death. For the final match, both trainers Pokémon will be revitalized and the battle is best of three. Now, are you ready for the first match?"

Kevin glanced down the line, Susie waved at him.

Two trainers, accompanied by a referee, were led onto the field. They each went to opposite sides. Both were boys.

After the ref gave the signal, they both released their Pokémon; a Spearow and Butterfree.

They began circling each other, the trainers shouting out commands. The crowd started cheering, people kept chanting the name of the Pokémon they most wanted to win.

The match ended after the Spearow used mirror move to counter Butterfree's Gust Attack. The bug Pokémon became over-powered and fainted dramatically.

"Butterfree is unable to battle! Patrick wins!" the Ref announced to thunderous applause.

Next, it was Kevin's turn. Once the Referee gave the signal, they began the battle.

"Go, Nidoran!" He shouted and tossed his Poke ball.

"Go, Ekans!" The girl retorted and tossed hers.

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The four trainers that had made up the Semi-finals were: Kevin, Susie, the Trainer from yesterday with the Mankey, and Travis. He hadn't noticed him before.

Kevin had just defeated the Mankey trainer, Mike, for the second time. He went over to Susie to wish her luck before her match.

"Hey…you've got this one don't you?"

She smiled at him, "You know it! See you at the finals."

Travis appeared nonchalant as they were led onto the field. The referee gave the signal.

"Go, Rattata!"

"Go, Rattata!" They both shouted at the same time, expelling their Pokémon before everybody.

Travis's began to use Focus Energy. A blue aura surrounded the small mouse.

"Use Quick Attack!" Susie ordered. Her Pokémon charged forward and knocked Travis's Rattata to the ground.

It recovered quickly, baring its sharp fangs in protest.

"Bite it!" Travis commanded. His Pokémon sprang towards Susie's and chomped on the other mouse's neck, dealing serious damage. Rattata cried out in pain.

"Use Quick Attack again!" Susie shouted, her voice overcome with panic.

"That's your strategy?" Travis taunted, "Dodge it, now!" He instructed.

His Rattata side-stepped its opponent; who barreled forward and tripped over its own feet.

"Now use your Quick Attack!"

His Rattata slammed into Susie's, knocking the wind out of it.

The Referee began to count down. "5-4-3-2…"

"Come on, get up Rattata!" Susie pleaded.

"-1, Travis is the winner!" The crowded Cheered and shouted.

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"Alright everyone, the moment you've all been waiting for- the Final Round!" The announcer sang from the speakers. "Both trainers Pokémon have recovered from their previous battles and are ready for Combat! Travis and Kevin-from Pallet Town!"

They took their places on the field and glared at each other.

The Ref waved his flag and they began.

Travis called out his Rattata and Kevin called out his Nidoran. The Pokémon appeared, bathed in white light.

Travis began again, with Focus Energy.

Kevin ordered his Nidoran to do the same. Together they became engulfed in a blue aura.

"Nidoran, Poison Sting!" Kevin shouted.

"Dodge it and use Quick attack!" Travis combated.

Rattata managed to dodge all of the needles and then collided with Nidoran, who fell backwards.

The mouse cringed in pain and began to pant. He was poisoned by Nidoran's Special Ability, Poison Point.

Travis narrowed his eyes in frustration.

"Nidoran Double-Kick!" The move dealt critical damage, striking its foe twice. Rattata fell to the floor.

"Get up Rattata!" Travis commanded. As it rose to its feet, the poison again took effect and the mouse fainted.

"Rattata is unable to battle!" The Referee called out.

Travis recalled the Pokémon and sent out his Bulbasaur.

"Use Growl!" He ordered. It obeyed and Nidoran became nervous.

When Nidoran used Double Kick, the attack was only semi-effective.

"Now Bulba, Vine Whip!" Nidoran was struck and repeatedly lashed by Bulbasaur's vines.

"Use Peck!" Kevin called to his tired Pokémon.

Nidoran charged its opponent, but Bulbasaur avoided the attack.

"Use Leech Seed!"

Bulbasaur shot a seed from the bulb on its back, which nailed Nidoran and sprouted into vines that bound the Poison-Pin Pokémon.

The seed sapped the rest out Nidoran's energy, who cried out in agony, and channeled it into Bulbasaur.

"Nidoran is unable to battle!" Declared the Ref. Kevin began to worry. Bulbasaur was back to full power.

He called out his Eevee. The Pokémon burst from its Poke ball and shouted, "Eevee!"

"Alright everyone, this battle will determine the outcome of the competition!" Came the Announcer. The people in the crowd started to cheer and chant again.

"Razor Leaf!" Travis shouted.

"Dodge it, quick!" The Evolution Pokémon hopped about and avoided the onslaught of leaves. "Now use Sand-Attack, Eevee!"

It ran forward and, using its front paw, swiped debris (Poison sting, Razor leaf, etc) into Bulbasaur's face. The Grass-Type cried out in distress.

"…Cheap trick. Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf again." Travis called. It began to fire off the attack in all directions, temporarily blinded.

Eevee avoided them easily.

"Use the Tail Whip!" Kevin instructed. A confused Bulbasaur began to relax as Eevee rubbed his tail on the Pokémon's Bulb.

"It's behind you, Bulba!" The other trainer informed it. The Pokémon turned around and snarled.

"Headbut!"

Just like before, Eevee hit the ground. The Pokémon got as low as possible and then jumped into the air, catching Bulbasaur right under the chin. The sickening crunch echoed around the gym and everyone gasped as the Seed-Pokémon flew back and crashed into the ground.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle—"

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"We'll see each other again, for sure!" Susie exclaimed. The two of them were standing at the entrance to the Viridian Forest.

"Yeah, I know we will!" Kevin reassured her. Susie had opted to stay behind in order to challenge the Gym Leader who was attending a conference in the Sinnoh Region.

She kneeled over and began to pet Squirtle.

"In the meantime, I'm gonna get stronger. You'd better do the same, Kevin."

He nodded to her. "I know, I know…"

"The next time we meet, let's have a battle! Won't that be fun?" She looked up at him. "Don't worry about me, I'll catch up to you and then we can travel around some more."

"Alright! I'll be waiting." He grinned. They both started laughing.

"You should probably get going; the sun is starting to set…"

Kevin recalled his Squirtle and started into the forest.

"Bye!" Susie waved.

He waved back and looked up as a Helicopter passed by, on its way into the forest. He followed it with his eyes until it went into the trees and landed.

**A/N**: **And there we have it. This is where they split up, for now anyway….the next part of the story will be broken into two parts and it's bound to be epic. Then, Kevin will challenge the Pewter City gym. I will say that after that I had planned on doing a bit of a time-skip…but that may change. We shall see…**

**Anyway, review and tell me what you thought about this chapter! I know the battles were kind of short, but I'm working on them. And thanks to Felix and Star for reviewing the last one!**

**On Sunday, I'll upload the next chapter of Stakes and Nooses**


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